Crashes claim two lives

May 14, 2007

By Sharna Johnson: Freedom Newspapers

A Texico woman and a Clovis senior citizen died Monday morning in separate accidents involving motor vehicles, according to officials.

Just before 9 a.m., Magalibanesa Mendoza-Jimenez, 28, was killed when the compact car she was driving struck an oncoming tractor-trailer on State Road 108 near Leftwhich Avenue in Texico, according to a news release from state police.
She died at the scene, police said.

The release said neither Mendoza-Jimenez or her infant child was wearing a seat belt. The toddler, who was ejected from the car, was transported to the hospital and was listed in stable condition Monday evening, according to the release.

The accident is still under investigation, the release said.

Ernest Foreman, 54, the driver of the tractor-trailer, told police he saw Mendoza-Jimenez’ car coming toward him in his lane at a high rate of speed and swerved to avoid the accident, the release said. Foreman was uninjured.

Moments later, around 9 a.m. a bicyclist on Llano Estacado Boulevard near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was struck from behind by a pickup truck driven by 45-year-old Taylor Nunn of Portales, according to Clovis Police Capt. Patrick Whitney.

Whitney said Nunn’s vehicle veered into the bicycle lane as they both traveled westbound.

George Reiser, 65, of Clovis, died at Plains Regional Medical Center from his injuries a short time later, Whitney said.

Nunn was transported to PRMC as a precaution.

No citations were issued pending an investigation by the department’s major crash unit, Whitney said.